Abstract
Since its detection in 1980, the $8-{\mu}m$ north-polar brightening of $CH_4$ on Juptier has not moved from $180^{\circ}$ (SysIII) longitude. The $8-{\mu}m$ $CH_4$ brightening is mostly thermal and very similar to that of $13-{\mu}m$ $C_2H_2$ emissions, but the morphology of these hydrocarbon north-polar brightenings are very different from that of the $3-{\mu}m$ $H_3{^+}$ auroral oval suggesting a significantly different excitation process yet unknown heating mechanism. Recently, Kim et al. (submitted to Icarus, 2015) found that that the center of the $3-{\mu}m$ $CH_4$ northern bright spot is located at ${\sim}200^{\circ}$ (SysIII) longitude, which is ${\sim}20^{\circ}$ west from the center of the $8-{\mu}m$ north-polar bright spot, and it does not coincide with the $3-{\mu}m$ $H_3{^+}$ bright spot. They found significantly high temperatures (500 ~ 850K) from $CH_4$ rotational lines on the $3-{\mu}m$ bright spot above the $1-{\mu}bar$ pressure level, while we find cooler temperatures (<350K) over the the $8-{\mu}m$ spot. They also found that the upper states of the $3-{\mu}m$ $CH_4$ bands are mostly populated by non-thermal excitations, such as auroral particle precipitations and/or Joule heatings in contrast to the $8-{\mu}m$ thermal emission. This finding indicates that the $10-{\mu}m$ hydrocarbon brightening is confined to low altitudes below the $1-{\mu}bar$ level eliminating the long-suggested possibility of direct auroral bombardments while opening a new possibility of dynamical origin for the $10-{\mu}m$ brightening.
(Kyung Hee University)
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